BACKUP TOOLS TO OVERCOME LEARNING CHALLENGES

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BACKUP TOOLS TO OVERCOME
LEARNING CHALLENGES

• Elsa M. Orellano, Ph.D., OTR/L, ATP
• Puerto Rico Assistive Technology Program
• Filius InstituteUniversity of Puerto Rico

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Objectives

• Recognize the role of free assistive technology
  (AT) programs as a backup to assess the
  effectiveness of a more complex commercial AT
• Learn to configure several free AT software to
• assist in decision making regarding software
  utilization and/or purchase
• enhance the reading and writing skills of
  individuals with learning disabilities.

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Students with Learning Disabilities

• 1 out of every 5 people in the U.S. has a
  learning disability
• 51.2 of students receiving special education
  services through the public schools are
  identified as having learning disabilities.
• Graduation rate is lower for students with LD
  (4) than the rest of the students without
  disabilities (62)

(23rd Annual Report to Congress, U.S. Department
of Education, 2001)
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Facts About Learning Disabilities

• LD is a lifelong disorder
• Learning disabilities can affect the persons
  ability to
• Speak
• Listen
• Read
• Write and spell
• Reason
• Recall
• Organize information
• Calculate

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Learning Disabilities and Assistive Technology

• Can be used as
• Remedial strategy
• Compensatory strategy

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Learning Disabilities and Assistive Technology

• Assitive technology can
• Increase individuals independence and
  productivity
• Increase individuals self-esteem
• Increase individuals success in school, work,
  and community
• Decrease individuals anxiety

(Jendron, 2007)
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Why We Need Free Assistive Technology?

• Funding constraints
• Lack of AT access at home
• Long AT time acquisition span
• Serves as a backup to assess the effectiveness of
  a more complex commercial AT

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Free Assistive Technology for Americans and
Hispanics Individuals with LD

• Talking Word Processor
• WordTalk V3.6
• Edword
• Word completion program
• LetMe Type V1.81
• Text-to-Speech and Text-to-Audio Program
• Balabolka V1.22

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Free Assistive Technology for Americans and
Hispanics Individuals with LD

• Free Spanish/English Voices
• SAPI 4
• Lernout Hauspie TruVoice TTS engine
• SAPI 5
• Microsoft Voices

Download Voices at http//www.cross-plus-a.com/b
alabolka.htm
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Text-to-Speech and Text-to-Audio Programs
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• Text-to-Audio Programs
• Converts text into audio files (MP3, WAV) to hear
  it on computer, IPod or CD/MP3 player

• Text-to-Speech Programs
• Translate text into speech
• Highlight spoken text using contrasting colors

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Text-to-Speech

• Benefits
• Students with attention deficits
• Attend better to their reading
• Reduce distractibility
• Read for longer period of time
• Less stress in reading tasks
• Students with significant reading disabilities
• Reduce frustration of decoding difficulties
  (Lundberg, 1995)
• Increase reading independence and success
• Increase comprehension (Higgings Raskind, 1997)
• Increase motivation to read (Montali
  Lewandouski, 1996)

(Hecker, Burns, Elkind, 2002)
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Balabolka V1.23
http//www.cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm

• Text-To-Speech and Text-to-Audio program
• It allows configuration of
• Voice language, rate, and pitch
• Font type and background color
• Highlighting colors
• Spell checker

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Talking Word Processors
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Talking Word Processors

• Read text aloud
• Many highlight words as they are voiced through
  the computer
• Benefits
• Helps students to identify more errors
  in written text (Raskind
  Higgins, 1995)
• Improve length of text and gramatical cohesion
  (Jones, 1998)

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EdWord
http//www.oatsoft.org/Software/edword-and-edweb

• Very simple talking word processor
• Voice configurations
• Different languages
• Speak and y highlight
  spoken
  text outloud
• Text configurations
• Variety of text colors, types,
  
  
  
  and sizes
• Symbol support

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WordTalk V3.6
http//www.wordtalk.org.uk/

• Free plug-in for Microsoft Word
• From Word 97 upwards
• Tutorial at http//www.slideshare.net/paulhami/wo
  rd-talk
• Can be used with different languages voices
• SAPI 5
• Characteristics
• Speak and highlight the text of the document
• Talking dictionary
• Configuration of
• Highlight colors
• Voice
• Speed of speech

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Word Completion Programs
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Word Completion Programs

• Suggest the most likely or frequent words based
  on the firsts entered letters
• User select the desired word by entering its code
• Helpful for users that
• Are accurate in writing the first few letters of
  a word
• Can attend two visual stimulus at the same time
• Write long words that are frequently typed

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Word Completion Programs

• Benefits
• Increases students
• Accuracy of spelling (Handley-Moore, 2003
  MacArthur, 1999)
• Ability to write independently (Klund, 2001)
• Self-confidence (Klund, 2001)
• Quality and quantity of written tasks (Heinisch
  Hecht , 1993)

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LetMe Type V1.81 http//www.clasohm.com/lmt/en/

• Can be used with different languages dictionaries
• Highly configurable
• Maximum of suggestion
• Location of the suggestion window
• Colors and size of the words of the suggestion
  window

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Hands-on Workshop
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Elsa M. Orellanopratp_at_pratp.upr.eduPuerto
Rico Assistive Technology Program 787-767-8642,
787-764-6035Fax TTY 787-754-8034 Toll Free
U.S.A. 1-888-633-6035